Child Welfare Intern - Bachelors of Science in Social Work

Description

Job Title: Child Welfare Intern - Bachelors of Science in Social Work

Department: Department of Human Services

Task Supervisor: Program Manager for Child Welfare and Adult Protection

Social Work Supervisor: Director of Human Services

Supervises: N/A

Status: Internship

Stipend: Four payments of $1,250 each, with two payments per semester, totaling $5,000

Classification: Internship

Primary Place of Work: Human Services Building

JOB DESCRIPTION:
Primary Responsibility: The Child Welfare Intern position provides social casework
support for a variety of program areas including child abuse and neglect cases, youth-inconflict
cases, and adults unable to protect their own interests. The goal of the Child
Welfare Intern is to work alongside the Prevention Caseworker with families in the
community to increase support surrounding protective factors, decrease the risk associated
with the likelihood of child abuse and neglect, and decrease the likelihood of entry or reentry
in to the child welfare system, as well as to provide support to other caseworkers as
needed.
The Internship Program at Gilpin County Department of Human Services goal is to
provide a well-rounded learning experience in Human Services, Child Welfare and Adult
Protection that will help prepare interns for a career in child welfare and/or adult
protection. Gilpin County has a unique structure as a rural small county. Caseworkers
are generalist caseworkers providing services to children, youth and families, as well as
adult protection.

Duties:

The duties listed below are representative of, but do not necessarily include, all the duties and

responsibilities that an individual in this position may be called upon to perform.

·       Participates in regular child welfare meetings, and supervision.

o   Weekly individual and group supervision

o   Biweekly Social Work Supervision

·       Partner with Child Welfare Team to:

o   Determine which referrals meet criteria for assessment Conduct intake assessments

o   Work with Families in permanency cases

o   Attend Court hearings

o   Assess adult protection concerns

o   Provide ongoing support for adult protection cases

o   Engage in the family meeting process to make critical decisions

·       Partners with Prevention Caseworker on prevention programming to include:

o   Partnerships with other community-based agencies

o   Completing home visits with clients to assess individual and family needs to identify potential resources and/or services

o   Provides information on available services.

o   Assist with the 211 Pilot Program through United Way, CDHS, Gilpin County,

o   Boulder County and Pueblo County

 

Requirements

Minimum job requirements:

·       Must have a valid Colorado Driver’s License without any restrictions due to driving

record. Must also be able to drive a county vehicle.

·       Completion of Child Welfare Academy within first semester.

·       Obtaining a BSW or MSW at an accredited institution.

Ability to:

·       Maintain a high level of professionalism and confidentiality.

·       Learn regulations, laws and procedures and develop knowledge of casework techniques and methodologies.

·       Accurately and effectively transmit and receive information that is necessary to the accomplishment of goals and objectives including effective written and oral communication

o   Exercise independent judgment and critical thought.

o   Maintain courteous and effective working relationships with the public, county departments, co-workers and other agencies.

o   Must pass background check, including traffic and criminal and a preemployment drug screening

Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills and Abilities)

Experience and Work Ethic

·       Strong communication, organizational and interpersonal skills

·       Ability to: maintain collaborative relationships with professionals and other members of the community to develop effective treatment plans for clients and to help clients solve problems

Civic Minded

·       Must possess strong community interest, while understanding the County government organization, function, policy rules and regulations.

·       Ability to work effectively both independently and as a team member.

·       Use of professional and personal discretion to protect the County from any actual and/or perceived appearances of impropriety.

Personal Responsiveness

·       Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with co-workers, elected and appointed officials, businesses, the general public and with the ability to communicate effectively.

·       Be punctual and prompt for work and meetings.

·       Communicate with the team in a respectful and meaningful way to best serve Gilpin County residents

Knowledge of

·       Working knowledge of established principles, theories and concepts of social caseworker practice.

·       Beginning knowledge of laws pertaining to child abuse, neglect and other dependency conditions.

Mental/Physical Demands:

·       Some work is performed in a standard office environment. Work also involves a considerable period of time away from a standard office environment, much of which consists of driving to and from home visits, collateral contacts and transporting clients; including children, families and adults.

·       Work may occur in situations in which incumbent is threatened with physical harm by hostile, angry clients.

·       Physical demands are described as mainly sedentary. Occasionally required to lift and carry infants and small children in the care and custody of the county, as well as the ability to carry large case files.

·       While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit, talk or hear, walk and use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, or controls. The employee is occasionally required to reach with hands and arms, stand, climb or balance, stoop, kneel, and crouch.

Summary

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of requirements, duties and responsibilities. Gilpin County provides reasonable job-related accommodations for disabled persons. Must pass drug screen and pre-employment screening.  

*Part-time and Temporary staff are ineligible for the following benefits: medical, dental, vision, 401A, Life Insurance, Short-term & Long-term Disability plans in additional to Long-term care. See the benefit details at the end of the job posting for part-time options.

Benefits for Full Time Employees:

Paid Holidays: Gilpin County provides 13 paid holidays per calendar year. An employee will be paid ten (10) hours per holiday.

Vacation: The first year of employment, (based on the anniversary of the hire date) full-time employees are given 40 hours of vacation and earn 3 hours of paid vacation leave bi-weekly. After that time, leave shall accrue as follows:

	Lump Sum on Date of Hire (Hours)	Hourly Accrual Rate (bi-weekly)
Zero – 12 months	40	3
13 – 60 months	-	5
61 – 120 months	-	7
121+ months	-	8

 

Full-Time employees are encouraged to take their earned vacation leave each year. Vacation time accrual shall cap at the maximum amount and shall not exceed the maximum accrual amount, based on total months of service. 

 

Months of Service	Maximum Vacation Accrual
Zero – 60	248
61 – 131	268
132 – 192	288
193 – 239	308
240+	328

Sick Leave: Full-Time employees shall accrue four (4) hours of sick leave each bi-weekly pay period. The maximum sick leave that may be accumulated by such an employee is 600 hours.

Medical Plans: Gilpin County offers two medical plans with Kaiser and United Health Care. Gilpin County offers a Health Reimbursement Account (HRA) for all employees to cover co-pays, deductibles, and other medical expenses. Employees are eligible for benefits the first of the month following 30 days of service. This HRA card will have $3,000.00 on it for an individual or $6,000.00 for a family. Both plans have a max out of pocket for $1,000 individual or $2,000 per family after the use of the HRA card for in network expenses.

United Health Care Monthly Employee Cost:
Employee Only/Employee and Spouse/Employee and Child(ren)/Employee and Family
$80.85/$167.72/$149.40/$234.30

Kaiser Permanente Monthly Employee Cost:
Employee Only/Employee and Spouse/Employee and Child(ren)/Employee and Family
$72.60/$152.62/$134.47/$210.90

Dental Plan: Gilpin County offers dental coverage through Delta Dental with PPO and Premiere network coverages. Individual deductible at $50 and family deductible at $150. In network coverage for preventative and diagnostic services are covered 100%, basic services covered at 80%, major services at 50%, and ortho covered at 50% with a $2,000 max. The plan offers a “Right Start 4 Kids” plan that covers most children basic services up to their 13th birthday at 100% with no deductible (some exclusions apply). Annual max this plan pays for covered dental services is $2,000 per individual covered on the plan.

Delta Dental Monthly Employee Costs:
Employee Only/Employee and Spouse/Employee and Child(ren)/Employee and Family
$0.00/$28.71/$54.00/$72.50

Vision Plan: Gilpin County offers vision coverage through VSP. In network coverage includes copays at $10 copays with an allowance of $175 per pair of either one prescription eyeglasses or contacts yearly on a 12-month calendar basis and discounts on Lasik.

VSP Vision Monthly Employee Costs:
Employee Only/Employee and Spouse/Employee and Child(ren)/Employee and Family
$0.00/$3.20/$3.40/$5.60

Retirement: Two retirement savings plans are available through the Colorado Retirement Association: 401(a) and 457 Deferred Compensation Plans

·        The 401(a) has a 5% required full match with a 4-year vesting period.

·        The 457 Plan is optional and has Pre-tax and Roth Options available. After four years of service, this plan could also include a County match as described below.

Social Security, as required by law: 6.2% required full match.

 

Effective July 8, 2025, for all new employees hired on or after this date, the graduated vesting schedule for the 5% match on employees’ 401(a) plan is as follows:

Years of Service	Vesting Amount
0 to less than 1 year	0%
1 year to less than 2 years	25%
2 years to less than 3 years	50%
3 years to less than 4 years	75%
4 years or more	100%

Starting January 1, 2026, two new voluntary retirement plan matches will be initiated, with one plan for POST (law enforcement officers) and a second for all other employees, based on years of service. The employee would need to make voluntary contributions into a 457 account at the minimum level in order to be eligible for the County match into the employee’s 401(a).

POST 401(a) eligible positions, 1:1 match

Years of Service	POST Employee Contribution to 457	County Match to 401(a)
4 to 8 years	1%	1%
9 to 12 years	2%	2%
13 or more years	3%	3%

 

All other 401(a) eligible positions, 1:2 match

Years of Service	Employee Contribution to 457	County Match to 401(a)
4 to 8 years	1%	0.5%
9 to 12 years	2%	1%
13 or more years	4%	2%

 

Short-Term Disability: Short-term disability pays 60% of your earnings with a max of $1,000 per week for up to 11 weeks. Benefits begin on day 15 and your first two weeks you will have to cover with sick, personal, or vacation time. Gilpin County covers 100% of the premium cost of this plan for the employee.
Long-Term Disability: Long-term disability kicks in after 90 consecutive calendar days of a qualified disability. The plan will pay 60% of your earnings with a max of $5,000 monthly. Gilpin County covers 100% of the premium cost of this plan for the employee.

Employee Assistance Program (EAP): EAP is provided through Triad All one Health for employees and members of your household. Services are confidential and available 24/7. A wide variety of services including but not limited to: Emotion well-being support with up to 6 Counseling sessions per issue each year. Daily life assistance guidance on a variety of topics. Online resources with articles, assessments, search tools, webinars. Free 30-minute consultations on legal services and financial services. A discount center to find deals on products, services, travel and more!

Gilpin County Parks & Recreation:  Employees receive free memberships, as well as 20% discounts on most services such as childcare, leagues, rentals, in house classes but does not include contract classes.

Benefits for Part Time and Temporary Employees:

Sick Leave: Leave accrues at the rate of 1 hours of sick leave per 30 hours worked to a maximum of 45 hours per year.
Retirement: As a part time or temporary employee, you may participate in the optional 457b or 457 Roth plan. These plans may be started, stopped, and changed anytime during your employment.

Employee Assistance Program (EAP): EAP is provided through Triad All One Health for employees and members of your household. Services are confidential and available 24/7. A wide variety of services including but not limited to: Emotion well-being support with up to 6 Counseling sessions per issue each year. Daily life assistance guidance on a variety of topics. Online resources with articles, assessments, search tools, webinars. Free 30-minute consultations on legal services and financial services. A discount center to find deals on products, services, travel and more!

Retirement: Gilpin County offers optional 457b or 457 Roth plans. The optional 457b plans may be started, stopped, and changed anytime during your employment

Gilpin County Parks & Recreation:  Employees receive free membership, as well as 20% discounts on most services such as childcare, leagues, rentals, in house classes but does not include contract classes.

Provides administrative and public services for Gilpin County, Colorado.